A New Species
by Gray Love
Summary: While passing through the Hades Gamma cluster, Commander Eilene Shepard discovers a pod containing an alien no one has ever seen or encountered before. There are many questions about this new alien species that Shepard and her crew will soon have answers to as they continue their mission to stop Saren and the Reapers. Set during the first Mass Effect. Rating may change later on...
1. The Discovery

Author's Note: This story came to be because of an idea I had of bringing my alien OC (the cover image is a portrait I drew of him) to the Mass Effect universe. I am sorry if there are any errors or inaccuracies. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I only own my alien OC. All other characters, items, ships, events and the universe this story is set in are the property of Bioware and EA Games.

Chapter I: The Discovery

The SSV Normandy was flying through the Hades Gamma cluster, having left the Artemis Tau cluster. On the second deck of the frigate, Commander Eilene Shepard had just left the medical bay after making sure that Dr. Liara T'Soni was alright. The asari researcher had assured the commander that she only needed rest but Shepard convinced her to have Dr. Karin Chakwas do a physical exam just to be sure.

"Commander, you may need to see this." Flight lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau's voice called through the ship's communication line.

"I'm on my way, Joker." Eilene briskly walked to the stairwell. She climbed the stairs to the command deck and headed for the bridge. It did take her long to reach the flight lieutenant's leather chair. "What is it, Joker?"

Joker did not look up from shifting between the haptic interfaces in front of him. "Commander, the ship's scanner has picked up something. I can't tell what it is."

The commander turned her attention to the scanner. There was a small solitary blip a short distance away on the starboard side. With the speed they were moving, it would not be long before they would close the distance. "It doesn't look like it's going to crash into us. Keep us on course, Joker."

"Got it, commander." Joker's fingers were flying over the panels, switching between them when needed. Eilene kept her eye on the blip's location. It wasn't on a collision course for them nor would they hit it but she wondered what it was. She looked out at the starboard window at the dark expanse of space. Tunshagon could be seen in the distance.

As they approached the location of the blip, the commander could see a round object, too small to be a moon or an asteroid but too large to be floating debris. It looked metallic though. As they were about to pass the object, Shepard was shocked. The round object looked like a small ship, no, it was more like a pod. The star Farinata shed light on the metallic surface, which was damaged and burnt in the areas she could see. What was it doing all the way out here?

Her instincts kicked in at that moment, telling her she should investigate the pod. Her instincts had never failed her before. They had helped her during the Skyllian Blitz. She turned to the flight lieutenant. "Joker, can you move us closer to it?"

"…On it, commander." Joker had seen the pod but he had dismissed it as space debris. Within moments, the Normandy shifted towards the pod. Joker moved the ship as close as he could without hitting the pod. Shepard was thankful for the lieutenant's piloting skills.

Shepard headed for the cargo bay, already thinking of a potential plan to get the pod into the ship. As she exited the elevator, she went to check the cargo bay door. She could probably bring the pod inside through here. Despite its spherical shape, it wasn't very large. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to come face to face with her reliable turian squad member.

"Shepard, what's the matter?"

"There's an escape pod out there, Garrus. I need to go out there to investigate."

"An escape pod? What is it doing out here?" Garrus' astonishment was evident. He had voiced what she had thought just moments ago. It was too strange. "What do we do now?" His question told her he would follow her lead.

Shepard smiled. She could always rely on Garrus. "We need to bring it in."

Garrus was surprised. What the commander wanted to do was something that needed careful planning to execute. Just the thought of opening a ship's airlock in space, let alone the cargo bay…

"I know what you're thinking, Garrus. It's dangerous but something tells me this is no ordinary pod."

After the crew members involved had been briefed and concerns were voiced, particularly those from both chief navigator Pressly and Joker, it was decided that a team of three would exit through the airlock and push the pod towards the cargo bay door. They would only have a limited time frame to execute the plan before the ship would be compromised by decompression.

The M35 Mako was doubly secured and all loose cargo and equipment were temporarily moved to the second deck to avoid losing them when the cargo bay door opened. The squad members' lockers were also secured and double checked. The crew and squad members usually stationed in the cargo bay were ordered to stay in the upper decks for the time being. The engineering doors were sealed and locked with kinetic barriers.

Shepard stood beside the airlock along with Garrus and Wrex. All three of them were wearing their space suits. Liara had volunteered to join them but, with the limited time frame, it was decided that Wrex's strength would be the better choice. Since the pod was of unknown origin, none of them could confirm if a biotic throw could push it into the ship. After the three put on their helmets, they exited the airlock. Joker sealed it behind them and waited for Shepard's signal to open the bay door.

Floating in space reminded Shepard of the vids and movies she had seen and watched when she was younger. They usually involved satellite repairs and such. She had never imagined she would do something like this when she enlisted with the Systems Alliance military.

She swam towards the pod, remembering the very few childhood years she spent swimming in the sea on Terra before her mother had been reassigned to an Alliance ship. She looked back at her squad members. Wrex was using his legs to kick himself forward. Garrus was moving much like her but more fluidly. They soon reached the pod. Shepard's instincts had proved right. The pod was not like any she had seen before. Despite its spherical design, the metal and design were truly of unknown origin.

She nodded once to Garrus who moved to the side opposite hers. Wrex moved to a spot between them on the side of the pod facing away from the ship. When they were all in position, the three of them pushed the pod. With their combined effort, the pod moved towards the ship.

It took a bit of time to move it towards the cargo bay door. They stopped a good enough distance from where the door would open. Shepard accessed her Omni-tool, pinging Joker on the control panel.

Joker wasted no time opening the bay door. The squad in space felt the strong rush of air, the effect of decompression, being vacuumed out as the door opened. The pod would have been thrown back had it not been that the three of them had moved behind it. They pushed with all their might against the strong air current. Ever so slowly, they were able to move the pod inside and Shepard took her hand off of the pod to ping Joker again.

The flight lieutenant shut the cargo bay door after them, causing the pod to hit the door and roll inside while the squad members crashed down onto the floor, their suits absorbing some, if not most, of the impact. The decontamination protocols took effect just then.

"Shepard, you okay? It was Garrus who asked as he stood up and took off his helmet.

Eilene shook off the slight dizziness from the crash before standing up herself and removing her helmet. "I'm okay. Wrex, how about you?"

The krogan grunted. "Shepard, you got quads. I give you that." A small smile tugged at the commander's lips at the krogan's compliment.

"Let's not do that again." This was one of the times Shepard had to agree with Garrus. It had been risky. They could have just as easily been blown away into space.

Shepard moved towards the pod just as Tali entered the room from engineering and Liara exited the elevator.

Liara's eyes widened at the sight of the pod. "This is…amazing." She walked around the pod, clearly fascinated.

"Is it Prothean?" Shepard put her helmet down on the floor beside her feet.

Liara shook her head at the question the commander posed. "In all my years of studying the Protheans, I have never come across anything like this." She touched the metallic surface.

Tali scanned the pod with her Omni-tool. The readings shocked her. "Shepard, there's something inside."

"Garrus, Wrex, arm your selves now." Eilene called before she started touching the pod's metallic surface. Where could it be?

"Shepard, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find a way to open this pod."

At those words, Garrus and Wrex ran to unlock their lockers and get their weapons.

"Shepard, are you sure about this?" It was Tali who asked.

"We went through all that trouble to get this pod into the ship. It's better to find out what's inside now than be ambushed by it later when we least expect it."

The squad saw the reason in the commander's words. Garrus and Wrex prepped their guns as Shepard moved to another side of the pod not far from where Liara was standing. Her hand touched a small notch. She pushed at the depression. She moved back just as the pod's doors opened out: one door barely missing her head, the other landing before her feet. White smoke spewed out.

Garrus and Wrex kept their assault rifles aimed at the opening. When nothing came out, Shepard and Liara moved closer to the opening. They peered inside. The interior of the cube was similar in design to the ones they had on the SSV Normandy except for…

"By the Goddess!" Liara exclaimed.

They were both looking at a bipedal, distinctly male alien. The alien was lying prone, his back leaning against the wall opposite the opening. His hand, tipped with sharp talons, was lying loosely over his chest. The suit he was wearing was slightly burnt in places but it did not look to be severely damaged. His light skin was covered in scales. The scales were a strange mixture of Terra brown, golden yellow, and grayish blue. He was very tall and his frame was lean but with defined muscles. A long tail was wrapped around equally long legs. His most distinct features were the two long scaly skin flaps starting from either side of his head and reaching down to well below his shoulders. Had they not seen him up close, they would have mistaken it for hair.

He seemed to be unconscious. Eilene took a tentative step inside the pod.

"Shepard, be careful." Liara cautioned.

Seeing that he had not moved, Shepard slowly moved even closer. She reached out her hand and touched the hand closest to her, careful of the talons. He was cold to the touch. His scales were rough.

Suddenly, she saw images in her mind. The images were moving too fast for her to make any sense of them...The commander reeled back, clutching her forehead. Liara caught her before she could fall over.

"Shepard, are you alright? What happened?"

"I don't know. Touching him was like the beacon on Eden Prime. I saw…things. A fire, an explosion…"

"I wonder…" Liara trailed off.

The other three non-Alliance members were now looking in at the alien.

"Keelah!"

"I've never seen anything like him." Garrus recalled his years in C-Sec. Not once had he encountered an alien like this one.

"Wherever he came from, his ship must have exploded." Tali hypothesized, touching the barely visible burn marks around the opening. She was careful not to touch anything else.

Eilene straightened herself, having recovered from the mental barrage. "I have to report this to the Citadel Council. They would want to know about this." The others nodded their heads in agreement.


	2. Awakening

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter II: Awakening

Commander Eilene Shepard sighed inwardly as she headed for the combat information center after the conference call had ended. The call with the Council had been as expected. All three councilors were surprised to hear about this new alien species. She had had to explain in detail to them the operation that led to the discovery and while it was unanimously agreed to be unconventional, the councilors agreed that the outcome outweighed the risk.

The turian councilor Sparatus had been blatantly opposed to the idea of bringing the alien into the Citadel. He cited the dangers of bringing an unknown alien into the capital. Councilor Valern had been more inquiring and wanted to bring the alien in to gather information about him. Councilor Tevos agreed with the salarian councilor. Before they ended the call, the three councilors had given Shepard permission to bring him to the Citadel as soon as possible.

Before speaking with the Council, Shepard had left Kaidan to supervise the return of all cargo and equipment to the cargo bay. She asked Garrus and Wrex to take the alien to the medical bay. She knew she had left the procedure in capable hands. She then headed to the combat information center to update chief navigator Pressly on their new course: the Citadel in the Serpent nebula.

After they had charted the course, Shepard had a brief conversation with Joker where the flight lieutenant commented on her bringing a mysterious and potentially dangerous alien onboard. She had had to reassure the flight lieutenant that from the coldness of the body, the alien was most likely a cadaver by now.

Her instincts were niggling at her to verify that claim so she headed for the medical bay to get a professional opinion from the ship's resident physician, Dr. Chakwas. The dignified looking doctor looked up from the papers she was perusing and smiled as the commander entered.

"Commander, you had them bring in quite a fascinating "patient"." The doctor said jovially.

Eilene returned her smile. "How is he, Doctor?"

"That is actually a good question, Commander." Dr. Chakwas led her to the cot at the end of the med bay where the alien was now lying. "I did some physical scans of the body and I cannot confirm that he is deceased. All of his organs seem to be in good condition but they are not functioning as well as I would expect in a conscious organism. I have recorded a few instances where I caught what I thought would be considered heartbeats but they were too few and far between. Without any knowledge of this species' physiology, I cannot confirm whether they were or not. I can however say that he may currently be in a state of suspended animation."

"In other words, Doctor, you're saying he is alive but he is sleeping very deeply."

"Commander, only his most vital organs seem to be functioning. His suit seems to be aiding him in sustaining them. The question now is when he would come around from this state of hibernation."

"Thank you for the info, Doctor. I'll have someone stationed outside in case your "patient" does wake up."

"Thank you, Commander."

Dr. Chakwas was at her desk in the medical bay a few days later. The commander had had to take care of a hostage situation caused by some L2 biotic terrorists before they had left the Farinata system. The doctor had sympathized with the biotics and was grateful that the commander had handled the situation without any losses.

While the commander had been away, the doctor had been making notes in her medical log about the new alien species. This was all new and truly fascinating to her. She was now able to confirm that the sounds she had recorded on her Omni-tool were heartbeats but, despite a noticeable frequency in the number she heard, they still were too few to be able to say that he was reviving.

She was however glad for the guard posted outside. They knew next to nothing about this new species and it eased her mind to know that she had back-up in case he awoke before they reached the Citadel. Staff lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was also nearby.

Despite being one of the busiest members on board the Normandy, the commander had come by when she could to check up on her and the male alien. The doctor had given her medical reports and had reassured Shepard that there was nothing to worry about. In the event that he did wake up, they had agreed that the doctor could activate the alarm installed in the medical bay to warn them.

Despite her interest, Liara, being an archaeologist not a biologist, had been unable to give any insight on the "patient". The asari had, however, taken the time to watch Dr. Chakwas and observe while she did her daily scans of the alien and had been spending some time down in the cargo bay studying the pod they had acquired.

As she continued making notes, the doctor had not noticed the talons twitch or the slight shifting of the body on the cot. The alien's heart was beating faster and more frequently until it had established a rhythm. He breathed in and tested his limbs. Each one was rigid from lack of use but they were slowly responding to the mental signals as his body began the revitalization process. His suit had done its job. There weren't any serious injuries as he could tell.

Within moments, his eyelids opened slightly, allowing him to see a bit through the narrow opening although his vision was still blurred. Where was he? He thought as he slowly opened his deep green eyes. The black pupils narrowed to slits from the light of the fluorescent tubes. He averted his eyes from the glare. As his eyes readjusted to the light, he saw that there were various books and apparatus around the room. He was in what looked like a medical bay.

His eyes fell upon a being seated not too far away. He guessed that this being, a female he noted, was the physician. He slowly sat up then shifted to the side of the cot and stood up. His legs were able to hold his weight although they were unsteady. He moved a little awkwardly. Each step made no sound.

The door to the medical bay slid open. He jumped up and clung to the ceiling, the pads on his hands and feet sticking to the surface. A male holding a pistol entered the room and greeted the female doctor, clearly checking up on her. The soldier saw him and aimed the gun at him as the doctor stood and looked behind her. He leaped towards her just as she activated the alarm. She screamed in shock as he grabbed her. He hissed at the sound. The scream alerted someone outside and a door behind him opened as well.

Meanwhile, Commander Shepard was looking over the galaxy map in the CIC when the alarm of the medical bay sounded. She immediately ran down the stairs, pushing down the fear that was building up because of the worst case scenario playing out in her head.

Private Fredricks, the one stationed by the med bay, was not at his post. Shepard took out her heavy pistol from its holster, taking cover by the door. There was only one reason why the alarm still blared.

"Let her go." It was Kaidan's voice she heard inside.

Eilene looked inside, maintaining her cover. She was shocked by what she saw. Inside, the alien that had been hibernating was standing, holding Dr. Chakwas with his talons. He was pinned to the control panel beside two cots. The skin flaps she had seen had expanded and fanned out, revealing a brighter display of transitioning golden yellow and grayish-blue pleats. He was also hissing and baring his fangs, his reptilian eyes were glaring at Kaidan.

The staff lieutenant had his heavy pistol aimed at the alien. The private stood beside Kaidan. He was clearly unnerved; his hands were trembling as he gripped the pistol. The alien was making sounds that might have been words but the translators they had equipped could not interpret them. The alien's green eyes shifted from him to Fredricks.

Liara was by the door to the back room, the blue aura of her biotic abilities was glowing but she was helpless, unable to perform any biotic ability that would not harm the doctor as well as the unidentifiable alien.

The commander, her gun at the ready, moved into the room behind the two soldiers. Dr. Chakwas turned frightened eyes to Shepard at her entrance. "Commander, help."

Shepard turned her purple eyes away from the doctor and looked at the reptilian. The sound of the alarm was clearly irritating him as he hissed louder at the continued blaring. With his size and strength, he could have easily killed the doctor if he had wanted to. He hadn't. He was probably just using the doctor as a shield because of fear. She slowly moved forward.

The reptilian alien turned his attention to her then. Shepard heard an onslaught of what could be words in her mind. She did not know how she could hear them nor could she understand them. She could somehow sense the uncertainty, distress and annoyance of the telepath. She lowered her weapon.

"Stand down." The words were a command. The two soldiers looked back at their commanding officer, perplexed at the order. "Stand down." She repeated, loud enough to be heard despite the alarm. This time, Fredricks lowered his weapon but Kaidan's remained pointed at the alien. He hissed again.

"Lieutenant, lower your weapon." Kaidan gritted his teeth at her words. "Kaidan, please." She spoke more softly, a request this time.

Kaidan sighed at those words then did as he was asked. The look on his face told Shepard he did not understand and did not like the situation but he trusted her.

Keeping her eyes on the alien, Shepard slowly moved to the desk and turned off the alarm. The reptilian seemed to relax a bit after it had stopped. The pleated flaps folded down partway and he had stopped hissing but he was still looking at them warily. His hold on Dr. Chakwas had not loosened as he turned his attention to Liara.

Shepard looked at Liara, wordlessly asking her to do the same as the two Alliance soldiers had. The asari saw Shepard's look and nodded. The blue glow faded away but she remained standing at the ready.

Shepard looked back at the alien. The memory of her mother Hannah's calmness in the face of adversity came to her then and she tried to emulate it, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I don't know if you can understand me but none of us here want to hurt you. Please let the doctor go."

As if he understood her, the reptilian let the doctor go. She moved to stand beside Kaidan. The alien's flaps folded completely. They reached down to his chest. He began to make sounds again. It was clear he was trying to speak to her verbally.

Shepard now was sure he was the telepath who had spoken to her but she still could not understand anything he said. "I'm sorry. I don't understand what you are saying."

He stopped then, realizing that she too could not understand him despite his efforts to speak to her. His mouth formed a thin line. His scaly brows furrowed. He was very frustrated by the situation he was in.

"We want to help you." Shepard continued. He moved towards her. There was a strange kind of grace to his movements. She did not break eye contact with him. Kaidan and Fredricks raised their guns at his approach but Shepard raised her hand palm out and shook her head. They complied.

He stopped mere inches from her. He easily towered over her five feet and eight inches. He then touched her arm. Just as she had touched him before, a myriad of memories went through her mind but this time, they were her memories flashing through at rapid speed. She could make out only a few. After a few moments, they had gone. The dizziness caused her to look down. She was thankful she was still standing.

He let go of her arm. He opened his mouth again. "W….Where...?" His voice was hoarse from disuse. He had gleaned the knowledge of this female's language from her memories and nothing more.

Shepard was surprised. She looked up at him. "What did you say?"

"Where…am…I?"

"You're on the SSV Normandy."

"Who…are…you?"

"I am Commander Shepard of the Systems Alliance navy."

"She…pard..." Her name rolled off his forked tongue.

"Who are you?" It was her turn to ask.

"M…Merric. My…name is Merric Tamar."

"Commander…" Shepard turned to Kaidan at his call. "It's alright, Lieutenant. I can handle this situation."

Merric watched the exchange and watched her as she dismissed the two soldiers, who reluctantly left the room and returned to, he assumed, their posts. He had rarely seen a female commanding officer but she was clearly a respected one.

She returned her attention to him. "Where did you come from?"

The question she posed brought back a memory for him. He closed his eyes. His face contorted in a scowl. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "I…came from Oavad." His home world…

Shepard had never heard of the planet. She wondered if it was even in the Milky Way galaxy. "What brought you here?"

"We…my people and I were searching for a new planet to call home when our ship was attacked." His legs were threatening to give out, still recovering from disuse. He sat down on a nearby cot. The attack on their ship, the Tamar Amitek, replayed in his mind in perfect detail. They had been in the midst of repair when…

"Commander, I think he needs rest." Dr. Chakwas spoke up at that moment. Despite her earlier scare, she had recovered enough to see what her now conscious patient needed was not an interrogation.

Shepard looked at Merric. He was clearly distraught by the memory. "We'll continue this later after you've gotten some rest."

"…Yes. Thank you, Commander Shepard." He was truly grateful the commander had chosen not to continue with her questioning. He understood why she had to question him. He was just as foreign to her as she was foreign to him. He lay down on the cot after he had promised her he would rest and not do anything unwise.

Shepard said goodbye to Dr. Chakwas before she left the medical bay. The doctor walked to Merric's bedside.

"Is it alright if I do a quick physical check?" She asked politely. Merric nodded once in response.

The doctor used her Omni-tool to scan him before she left him to rest. He soon drifted off to sleep...


	3. The Meeting and The Joining

Author's note: I would like to say that Merric will be speaking in his language (with enclosed English translations) in the course of this story. I apologize in advance if any of the words in his language are offensive or improper words in your language. I have also enjoyed writing this story so far and have actually written chapters that will be uploaded once I reach that point in the story. For now, I thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter III: The Meeting and the Joining

_Merric was running towards the bridge of the Tamar Amitek. Flames were consuming the ship and he dodged them as best he could. The ship's alarm was blaring loudly, making Merric wince and hiss but he had to reach the bridge._

_The commander was there, trying to pilot the ship the best he could. The ship's status reports were telling them both that the ship was lost. Merric touched his commander's shoulder. "Racamo, irawak mena aragai kar. (Commander, we must leave now.)"_

_The commander swatted his hand away, his other hand still on the main controls of the ship. "Nire, aragai mira kash. Valga mira. (No, leave with the others. Save them.) "A small explosion erupted near them at that moment. There was no time to argue._

_Merric grabbed the much larger commander's arm. "Racamo, ira well aragai iwak. (Commander, I will not leave you.)" The commander pushed him away. "Iga. (Go.)" The word was a command._

_Merric stumbled back but was able to stop himself from falling over. He looked his commander in the eyes. The dark brown eyes looked back at him with resolve mixed with a silent plea. The commander's face softened for only a moment. "Valga mira, Merric. Iwak mena valga mira." (Save them, Merric. You must save them.)_

_Merric had to agree with his commander. He reluctantly left his racamo and ran from the bridge. Before he could get far, an explosion behind him made him look back. He watched in horror as his commander was wrestling with the controls, engulfed by flames. "Kiran!" (Brother!)_

"Nire (No)!" Merric cried out as he sat up, his chest heaving. His breath came out in labored heaves. He looked around him, trying to get his bearings. The sight of the medical apparatus, the cots and the doctor's empty desk reminded him that he was in the medical bay of the SSV Normandy. He covered his face with his hands. The Amitek was lost forever…

"Merric, are you alright?" Merric looked up at the voice. The one who had spoken was the blue skinned female from a few hours ago. She was speaking in the female commander's language. He let out a breath, trying to calm himself before he answered her using the same language. He knew no one that he had seen or met on this ship could understand the language of his people.

"I…I am fine." His voice sounded less hoarse.

"Did you have a bad dream?" The blue female sat down on the cot beside his.

Merric nodded in response to the question. "May I ask you a few questions?"

"Certainly." She sounded hesitant despite her answer.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Dr. Liara T'soni." There was a hint of relief in her words.

She was a doctor. A medical doctor or a highly learned individual? He took note of that bit of information. "Dr. T'soni, what do you call your species?"

"Asari."

"How do you know the commander?"

"Commander Shepard saved my life." She did not elaborate further.

It was then that Dr. Chakwas entered the medical bay. Seeing that her patient was awake, Dr. Chakwas kept a professional smile on her face. "Mr. Tamar, how are you feeling?"

"I am feeling better now. Thank you, Doctor. I am sorry about what happened earlier." He was truly apologetic and ashamed of his actions. He had acted out of instinct. He really had not wanted to endanger her life.

"Do not worry about that." Dr. Chakwas gave him a more genuine smile. She turned her attention to Liara. "Dr. T'soni, Commander Shepard was looking for you."

"Thank you, Dr. Chakwas. I will go see her now." Liara stood up and left the medical bay, her movements graceful. She was more curious about the doctor's new patient.

Merric kept his emerald green gaze on Dr. Chakwas. "Thank you, Dr. Chakwas."

Dr. Chakwas looked at Merric. "For what, Mr. Tamar?"

"For saving my life." Had she not saved him, he knew what would have happened to him out in the coldness of space…

"If you must thank someone, Mr. Tamar, you should thank the commander. She was the one who brought you on board." That bit of information fascinated Merric. He did not understand why the commander would do such a thing. She did not know him. Nevertheless, he had to thank the commander when next he saw her.

The commander in question had just spoken to Liara. She planned to bring the asari researcher with her and Garrus when they brought Merric to meet the Council. They would soon be docking in the Citadel. The Council had already been informed of their imminent arrival and a meeting was scheduled. She would have to speak to Merric privately after the Council meeting. She also would need to send the report to Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson.

Shepard headed to the bridge. She was already suited up to go ashore. She watched as the colossal deep space station came into view. The first time she had seen the Citadel she had been in awe of the structure. The five long Ward arms surrounded the central Presidium ring.

"Citadel control, this is the SSV Normandy requesting docking clearance."

"Copy that Normandy. You are cleared to dock at bay number two."

Shepard watched Joker effortlessly bring the frigate into docking bay number two. Her thoughts however were on how people would react to seeing Merric Tamar in the Citadel. Though there were several species living in the Citadel, the inhabitants of the space station had not seen a new species since humans came to live in the political and cultural heart of Citadel space.

She headed downstairs to the medical bay to check on Merric Tamar. She was surprised to find that not only was the current marine, Smith, not at his post, Dr. Chakwas was the only one in the medical bay.

"Doctor, where is Merric Tamar?"

Dr. Chakwas looked up. "Oh commander, he had asked how you had found him. I told him about the pod in the cargo bay. I sent Smith with him after he had asked to see it."

A dozen scenarios ran through Shepard's head at the doctor's words. "I'll be going now, Doctor."

After she left the medical bay, Eilene quickly ran to the elevator and pressed the call button. When it arrived, she immediately got on. The most prominent scenario on her mind as the elevator descended was that Merric Tamar could just as easily disarm Smith and arm himself with the assault rifle or whatever weapons were kept in the pod. She knew if that were the case, Ashley, Garrus and Wrex would handle the situation.

What greeted her when the elevator doors opened was not the sight of a group of armed soldiers and aliens or the lack of a metal pod, rather the group stationed there were aware of something amiss. Everyone in the cargo bay, despite doing what they usually did, was frequently looking at the currently open metal pod. Word had probably reached them about the medical bay incident.

Smith's large frame stood by the door, his assault rifle in his hands. It was not aimed at the pod but the fact it was not slung and holstered on his back made her wary.

Shepard walked towards the pod, everyone's eyes following her progress. The large marine stood at attention and saluted her instinctively when she reached him. She nodded in acknowledgement and Smith returned to his unofficial posting, his attention on the pod opening more than his surroundings.

Eilene took a step into the pod. Merric was inside, seated on what looked like a round swivel chair by a makeshift table that had popped out of a hidden panel on the wall opposite the door. He had changed the damaged suit they had found him in for a new one, an almost silver suit that complimented his dark blue shirt, the mandarin collar sticking out. He was also wearing a pair of specially designed boots. His damaged suit was already hidden away somewhere. His back was to her. She took another step forward.

"Commander Shepard." He had not turned around but was instead accessing a holographic interface on the table.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Your footsteps." His answer surprised her. She did not know anyone who was able to distinguish people by their footsteps. He must really have acute hearing, she thought.

"What are you doing?" Merric turned the chair around to face her. Before he could respond…

"Merric…Ira golyapo…Ira anem tactcon Oavad kash. (Merric…I am sorry…I cannot make contact with Oavad)." A disembodied static voice filled the pod.

"Who is that?" Shepard asked.

Merric looked up. "Iriga galrit, ANA. Garank iwak. (That is alright, ANA. Thank you.)" He sighed. He had expected that response but it did not ease his mind. He turned his attention to the commander. "That is our automated navigation assistant. We call her ANA. As to your previous question, I was trying to see if ANA could create a communication link to my home world. She could not." Merric knew ANA could have established the link if they were near Oavad. She was also limited by the pod's capabilities.

"It must be difficult for you."

Merric nodded. The memories were still too new. "It is. Was there something you needed?"

"Yes. Before you…awoke, I spoke to the Council about you. They wanted to meet you." The scientific methods Councilor Valern probably had in mind would not happen now that Merric was confirmed conscious and very much alive.

"You mean they wished to know about my species on a biological level."

He saw right through her. She shrugged her shoulders. "I have to be honest. They probably would have done that."

"Do not worry, Commander. I understand why they would do so. I assume that is also why we have docked." An awkward silence filled the pod after he had said the words.

Shepard took out a small device. She offered it to Merric. The device was shaped like an earpiece.

Merric looked at it then his gaze moved to her violet eyes. "A translator?"

"The Council is made up of representatives of three alien species: the asari, the turians and the salarians. It would be easier for you to understand them if you have this."

He took it from her palm. "Thank you. That's very considerate of you and...thank you for saving my life. Dr. Chakwas told me about what you did." He placed the translator in his ear.

Shepard smiled. "You're welcome. We should probably get going. The Council doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Merric turned around and reached for a small compartment door beside the table. He opened it and pulled out what looked like a long dark blue trench coat. He stood up and put it on. He then turned to her once more. "Lead the way, Commander."

Shepard wondered what else the pod contained but she did not dwell on the thought. She walked down the door ramp. Merric followed behind her.

Garrus had stopped calibrating the Mako and was standing a few feet from them, his weapons slung on his back. He extended his gloved talon-tipped hand to Merric, who was a few inches taller. "Garrus Vakarian."

Emerald green eyes looked at the turian's piercing blue eyes before Merric took the extended hand with his talon-tipped one. He shook it firmly. "Merric Tamar."

The three of them headed into the waiting elevator and to the airlock where Liara was patiently waiting for them.

"Equalizing interior pressure with exterior atmosphere. Logged. The commanding officer is ashore. XO Pressly has the deck." Came the voice of the Normandy's virtual intelligence as they stood patiently for the airlock doors to open. It reminded Merric of ANA.

When the doors opened, the group headed out of the Normandy. Merric's eyes took note of his surroundings as he remained by Shepard's side all the way to the elevator. Eilene wondered whether Citadel Security had been informed of Merric's arrival. They would know soon enough.

Once the elevator reached the C-Sec headquarters, Merric saw the large number of officers around, stopping what they were doing the moment they saw the doors open. Every one of them was looking at the group, him specifically. It was a similar situation to the moment when he had gone to the pod earlier but at a larger scale.

None of the officers moved towards them making Eilene think they had been informed. None of them came to personally question Merric. Garrus greeted Detective Chellick who returned the greeting as they passed him on the way to the Citadel rapid transport console.

Shepard would have preferred walking to the tower from the C-Sec headquarters but, with the reactions of the C-sec officers, she could already imagine what the civilians would do when they saw Merric. Knowledge of his existence, at least for the moment, would be best kept at a minimum.

In no time, the four of them were standing inside of the impressive and spacious Citadel Chambers. They were surrounded by green trees. The burble of the fountains could be heard in the distance. More eyes fell on Merric as they headed through the anteroom. Merric paid them no attention. Whispers of inquiries and gossip could be heard as they climbed the stairs to the audience chamber.

The three councilors were already there. Once Shepard moved to the platform, Councilor Sparatus' green eyes looked at Merric, who stood behind the commander with Garrus and Liara, with wariness. It was clear the turian councilor was still opposed to having Merric in the Citadel, corpse or not.

Merric kept his face stone calm. It was a challenge to do since the antagonistic look from one of the councilors was slowly making him wish he could extend his frills out in response. He looked at the other non-asari councilor on the right instead. There were similarities between them physically. It made him wonder if their two species had a common ancestor…He dismissed the thought instantly.

"Commander Shepard, we understand that you have brought a new species to us." Councilor Tevos was the one to speak.

"Yes, Councilor."

The asari councilor looked at Merric, who was now looking at her. "Would you please step forward?"

Merric obliged, standing to Shepard's right. "Greetings, councilors."

"Who are you?" It was Councilor Valern who asked.

"My name is Merric Tamar."

"What do you call your species?" Councilor Sparatus spoke out.

Merric looked at the turian councilor with the face of a Skyllian-five poker master. "We call ourselves chlamykingiimis mirawak. The closest translation I can think of is frilled ones. It would be easier to call us frillans, Councilor."

"Where did you come from? What brought you here? What was your objective in coming?" Councilor Valern spoke in one breath. It almost sounded like one word with the speed the questions were asked.

Merric almost did not catch all of them had it not been for his acute hearing. "I came from a planet called Oavad, Councilor. My people and I came to your galaxy hoping to find a new planet to call home. Our ship, the Tamar Amitek, was attacked en route. It was lost in the attack." He looked at the salarian councilor as he spoke. He did not add that he could potentially be the sole survivor of not just the Amitek crew but his entire species as well. He wondered…

Shepard looked at Merric. This was the first time he had mentioned being from a different galaxy. It would explain why they had never encountered anyone like him before.

"Will there be others?" Councilor Sparatus was clearly concerned about the possibility of an invasion from the frillans.

"No, Councilor. I believe Commander Shepard has told you that she found me in a pod. With the limited technology at my disposal, I am not able to establish communication with my home world but I do know the crew on the Tamar Amitek were the only ones to leave our home world in search of a new home." Memories flooded Merric's thoughts but he kept them at bay. This was not a time for reflection.

The turian councilor seemed to relax a bit at the frillan's words. He turned to his fellow councilors. They seemed to be in silent agreement.

It was Councilor Tevos who eventually spoke. "We have other questions, Merric, but those will be for another time. There are more pressing issues at the moment." She looked at the commander.

"I will keep you updated, Councilors." Shepard spoke. She knew she could not reveal any details while Merric was around.

The councilors nodded. "This meeting is adjourned." Councilor Tevos said.

Commander Eilene and the rest of her squad turned around and left the audience chamber. After they descended the stairs, Merric turned to the commander. "Commander, may I have a word?" He noted that Mr. Vakarian and Dr. T'soni were looking at him as well. "In private."

"Of course, Merric." The two moved to the side of the stairs as Garrus and Liara continued on their way to the rapid transport console.

"What is it, Merric?"

"Commander, I was wondering if I could join you on your mission."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Merric, the mission is very dangerous. Are you sure?"

"I owe you a debt of gratitude. I am honor bound to stay with you until the debt is repaid."

Shepard understood the need to repay a debt but she wondered if Merric was not endangering his life by joining them.

"Do not worry about me. I can hold my own in battle."

How was he able to…? She recalled him going through her memories. She shook off the thought. If he could see memories, he could easily read her thoughts. "Welcome to the Normandy then, Merric."

"Thank you, Commander." Merric's lips quirked into a smile. It was the first time she had seen him smile. They continued towards the console where Garrus and Liara were waiting…

Shepard tossed and turned in bed that night. Her conversation with Garrus in the cargo bay earlier was still on her mind. She had been speaking with the Normandy's requisition officer about getting guns for Merric when the turian had approached her.

_"Commander, do you have a minute?"_

_She smiled. She was usually the one to ask him if they could have time to talk. "Of course, Garrus."_

_Garrus led them to the side of the Mako. He had eyed the pod. Eilene knew he wanted to talk about Merric joining them. She knew the frillan was up in the medical bay, having a physical scan._

_"Commander, is it really alright?"_

_Shepard wondered if she should feign ignorance at his question but she had never been coy. She had always been honest with everyone. "Garrus, if you're asking whether or not it is alright for Merric to join us, I would say yes."_

_"But we know next to nothing about him."_

_"I knew little about you." She reminded him. Before he had joined the Normandy, she had only known that the turian had been a C-Sec officer investigating Saren Arterius, the former Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectre) agent that they were trying, no, going to stop._

_"Point taken but we know even less about him."_

_"Garrus, I understand your concerns but we need all the help we can get if we intend to stop Saren. For now, you have to trust me."_

_"I…I trust you, Shepard."_

_"Thank you, Garrus. I should be going."_

_Garrus nodded before he returned his attention to the Mako._

Shepard sighed. Garrus had a point. The incident at the medical bay made it clear Merric was as instinctive as he was an intellectual. He had tangled with the Council and it had turned out not as bad as she had thought. Knowing she wouldn't get any more sleep for a while, she threw off the covers and put on her uniform. A few rounds in the shooting range might help her clear her head.

As she was about to enter the range, she heard gunshots inside. She looked through the one way mirror. Merric stood at one of the firing lanes, holding a heavy pistol. She watched as each of the shots he fired hit the bull's eyes of the designated target.

She was a bit impressed by his skill. She continued to watch as he shifted to a sniper rifle. He was just as adept at the rifle as he was with the pistol. She should probably leave him to his target practice. She was just about to go back to her quarters when the motion detector of the sliding door sensed her and it slid open. She stopped in her tracks.

"Good evening, Commander." He had seen her.

She turned around and smiled sheepishly. "Good evening. You have good aim."

"Thank you." The side of his mouth turned up in a half smile.

She chose a pistol from the weapon rack and moved to the firing lane beside his. She fired a few shots, hitting the bull's eye. They shot their respective targets in companionable silence. He was a better shot than her.

Every now and then, Merric watched the commander from the corner of his eye. She was a good shot as well. She clearly was a proficient shooter in the battlefield. The few female frillan commanders he had known were less skilled with firearms and more adept at close combat.

After a few rounds, she bade him good night and headed to bed.

Author's Note: I will say that I initially had two different scenarios in mind for Merric's official meeting with the Council. I chose this one instead of the other since I felt that Eilene Shepard would not talk about classified information about her mission with a civilian (Merric) around. I apologize that the meeting is short. I also had a slightly different scenario for the end of this chapter but I liked this one better. I added a shooting range to the Normandy since I felt they needed a place to practice in between missions.


	4. The Squad and The Mission

Author's Note: Thank you very much to all who have read my story. If there are any inconsistencies, please let me know. I'm replaying Mass Effect to refresh my memory and also to try to keep details as consistent as possible. There may be some I miss. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated. Please enjoy chapter four.

Chapter IV: The Squad and the Mission

Commander Eilene Shepard sighed as she got her daily mug of coffee from the mess hall. After her shooting session last night, she had gone to bed. What she had seen of Merric's memories, the fire and explosion of his ship, had combined with her dreams of the visions from the beacon...She had awoken covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Unfortunately, the dreams had recurred every time she drifted off to sleep. She had eventually given up trying to get some sleep after the third attempt.

She drank from her mug. She usually preferred to sweeten her coffee a bit but today would be an exception. The strong, bitter beverage would help her get through a day like this.

"Good morning, Commander." Kaidan greeted as he got himself a mug of coffee.

"Good morning, Lieutenant." Shepard finished her coffee and placed the mug in the dishwasher. She was just about to head up to the CIC when she heard Kaidan call.

"Commander, do you have a minute?" The seriousness in his tone told her that what he wanted to talk about was important.

She turned around, her gaze meeting his. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am, I wanted to talk to you about the...new squad member."

After her conversation with Garrus yesterday, Shepard expected the rest of the squad to want to talk to her about Merric. She was sure all of them had their opinions about their new squad member.

"Go on, Kaidan." She urged. This was going to be one of the off the record conversations they had.

"Are you sure we can trust Merric? After what happened yesterday, I don't think having him around is a good idea."

She had expected such comments from Ashley. The gunnery chief was not very...supportive of the non-human members of the squad. Kaidan usually had a good head on his shoulders. Then again, he had been part of the medical bay incident. She could not fault him when he had been a witness to Merric's instinctive side.

"You have good reason to doubt him, Kaidan. I can't say that that was the last we saw of that situation. However, I think he acted out of being cornered, uncertain and unarmed. In similar situations, people can take drastic action."

"I see what you mean, Shepard. You really handled that situation well. I can't say I'm not impressed. I..." Kaidan winced, alerting Shepard to one of his headaches. The severe medical complications of having L2 biotic implants made her feel sympathy for the lieutenant. After a few moments, he shook it off.

"You okay?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I should probably let you go, Shepard. Thanks."

"Anytime Kaidan."

Shepard headed up the stairs to the CIC. They were leaving the Serpent Nebula and she needed to chart a course for Feros. She looked over the galaxy map then spoke with chief navigator Pressly.

She headed to the cockpit to inform the flight lieutenant. Joker looked up at her from his leather chair. "Commander, I thought you said he was a corpse."

"I thought he was, Joker. Don't worry. He's on our side."

"Oh, that's great. While most people collect coins and stamps, you're collecting dangerous aliens and this one is a big question mark."

Ever since she had known Joker, Shepard had known he had a penchant for making sarcastic comments. Instead of commenting on it, she briefed him on their next course and left him to pilot the Normandy. Her next destination was the cargo bay.

At that moment, Merric stood before the table in his pod, busying himself with disassembling the sniper rifle the commander had given him. She had outfitted him with a serviceable pistol as well.

He had covered the pod's interface to avoid damaging it while he stripped the rifle. The weapon would need some parts to improve its performance but it was a good rifle overall.

He heard the elevator door open and the commander's purposeful steps. He had memorized the layout of the cargo bay and by her footsteps, she was most likely headed towards the Normandy's requisition officer to restock her supplies.

He reassembled his new rifle in less than half a minute. As he leaned the rifle against the side of the table, he heard another set of footsteps approach the pod. Since joining her squad, the commander had called off the soldiers watching his every move so he was sure the footsteps did not belong to a soldier. If he had to guess...

Merric turned around to see Garrus Vakarian standing there on the ramp. He had been correct. He recalled Shepard telling him on their way back to the Normandy that turians were also working in Citadel Security. With the information she had given him and his own observations of most of the officers as well as the non-asari councilor, he knew that Garrus was a turian. He inclined his head towards the other in a small bow. "Good morning, Mr. Vakarian." He was still getting used to speaking in the commander's language.

"Morning. Call me Garrus." Garrus waved away the deference. He felt that Mr. Vakarian was a deference reserved for his father. The turian looked both ways, checking to make sure that no one could overhear their conversation. Wrex was thankfully a distance away, leaning on the lockers.

Merric raised a brow at the other's words. His people rarely allowed others to call them by their given names unless they were close relations or loved ones. Formal addresses were the norm among their kind. Then again, he had allowed both Commander Shepard and Dr. T'Soni to call him by his given name and he hadn't corrected them. He supposed it was this galaxy's way of addressing others. His face remained impassive as he waited for Mr. Vakarian, no, Garrus he corrected himself, to speak.

"Since Commander Shepard has allowed you to join us, I wanted to..."

"You wanted to make sure I was trustworthy." Merric finished for him. He could tell this turian thought highly of Commander Shepard and was protective of her. It cemented the notion that she was a respected commander and at least had a few allies.

Garrus was surprised. He had heard about Merric Tamar's abilities from Liara. Shepard had confided in her about the frillan's telepathic/psychic abilities similar to the biotic abilities of the asari but at the same time different. He had not been able to ask Shepard personally to confirm them yet but…had the frillan read his mind?

A small opening appeared on the pod's floor and two round swivel chairs came out of it. ANA had provided them without him asking her to. Merric gestured to the other chair before he sat down on the chair nearest the table. He waited for the turian to sit before he spoke. "Garrus, I understand your concerns. You know little to nothing about me as you are unknown to me. I will say this though. I vow to repay my debt to the commander. My people and I honor our vows and debts. We do not give our word lightly. To break one's word is a serious offense."

Garrus reflected on his words. "That's good to hear. I…" He started.

"Am I interrupting something?" The two turned to look at the commander. Both had not even noticed her approach. Eilene had her arms crossed over her chest. An amused half-smile was on her face as she watched the two tall aliens converse inside the confines of the pod.

"Commander. No, you weren't interrupting. I was just leaving. I need to finish some calibrations." Garrus stood and walked out of the pod.

Shepard watched him go before she turned her attention to Merric. She spotted the rifle leaning by the side of the table. "What do you think of the rifle?"

"It's good. I examined it thoroughly before Mr. Vakarian…Garrus came to speak with me." Merric wondered if she had overheard what he had said to the turian. If she had, she was not showing any indication to confirm that possibility.

His elbows rested on his knees as his talon-tipped fingers formed a steeple in front of his mouth. "Commander?"

"Yes Merric?"

"May I ask you some questions?"

"Yes Merric." Eilene uncrossed her arms and entered the pod. Merric offered the seat Garrus had vacated to her. She sat down, her hands on her knees. "Is ANA around?"

Merric looked up then looked at her. "ANA usually gives me privacy. I was wondering. What is this mission you are on?"

Eilene kept a straight face. "We're currently looking for Saren Arterius, a turian who's a former Spectre."

"A Spectre?" He had never heard of such a group before.

"Special Tactics and Reconnaissance agent. They're...We're the Council's elite special task force. Spectres are tasked to preserve galactic stability by whatever means necessary."

Whatever means necessary...Merric mused. That meant they could risk lives and kill others for the sake of galactic stability, he thought. Since she had said we, it meant she too was part of this elite task group. "I see. Why are you looking for him?"

"Saren is looking for something called the Conduit. He believes it is the key to bringing back this ancient machine race called the Reapers, who from what we know destroyed the Protheans, an alien race that existed some 50,000 years ago. The geth are aiding him…" Shepard stopped when she saw Merric look at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"The geth are a race of AI in this galaxy. They think Saren is their "prophet" because he is leading them to the Reapers, their "gods". We're trying to find out what the Conduit actually is but we think it may be something the Reapers can use to wipe out life in this galaxy. We need to find it before they do." She added.

Merric pressed his steepled fingers against his lips. If this ancient race was indeed capable of destroying races, they must be stopped. He was not from this galaxy but he was also not willing to stand by and watch other races perish. "I will aid you, Commander." It was a promise he intended to keep.

"Thank you, Merric. Now, I want to ask you some questions if it's okay."

"Of course." He placed his forearms on his thighs, his fingers clasped together. She had shared information with him in confidence. She trusted him enough to do so. He wanted to do the same.

"What's it like on your home world? Why did you leave it?"

He looked away from her, the memories flooding back at that moment. He closed his eyes. "Oavad is a place where two races, my race the chlamykingiimis mirawak and the ophidia serpentes, have been living for as long as we could remember. Oavad was once a resource rich planet, full of lush forests and fresh clear water. Our ancestors once lived in relative peace. Unfortunately, our two races grew too numerous and, despite our technological advancements, we depleted our resources to the point where we could barely sustain ourselves. We have been fighting just to survive for more than a few centuries…"

Shepard listened quietly. From the way Merric described the conditions in his home world, it was inevitable that either one of the races would not survive or both would destroy each other. She said nothing and waited for him to continue.

"My _baire_, my father told my _kiran_, my older brother and me to take some of our loved ones and a crew of our most trusted on the Tamar Amitek and search for a new planet to call home for our race. My brother, Warriv, who was my _racamo_…commander, captained the ship. I was his _alaroc_...you could say I was the second in command."

The memories Eilene had seen of the explosion came back to her. It was no wonder Merric was distraught. He had lost loved ones as well as crewmates when the Amitek exploded. "How did you reach our galaxy?"

"It should have taken us centuries to travel to another galaxy but my father developed the technology to, you could say, open a door to another galaxy. We had not chosen yours specifically. He saw us go, choosing to remain behind to aid our people the best he could." Merric opened his eyes. The look in his father's war-weary eyes moments before they boarded the Amitek had shone with a glimmer of hope for a better future. He and his brother had hoped to achieve that dream for their father as much as their race. "Father kept the technology secret so that the serpentes would not find it."

"Weren't there any other planets in your galaxy that could have served as a new home?"

Merric shook his head. "Both of our races tried sending scout teams for many years. None of the planets in our galaxy were habitable. We would find resources but those too were not enough to sustain life on the planet we found them on. We harvested them as we found them. That was the reason why Father started developing the technology that would lead to our intergalactic journey. ANA was our virtual assistant on-board."

"Thank you, Merric." There was a lot of information to take in but Shepard felt honored that he had confided in her. He had not needed to tell her in detail. It had taken courage and trust to do so. She could imagine the pain he had to endure remembering all those he had lost, especially since they were still fresh...She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Merric gave her a small smile. "We should probably make preparations. Where are we headed to?"

"Feros. Saren sent some of his geth troops there and they're attacking a human, my people's, colony, searching for something. We have to found out what it is and why Saren is looking for it." She stood up. "I should probably get going."

"Of course. We can talk again some other time." He watched her exit the pod and head to the elevator. She was an interesting commander, he thought.


	5. Feros

Author's Note: I am sorry for the delay. I wanted to update this story on a weekly basis but I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoy reading it.

Chapter V: Feros

Four days later, Eilene stood on the cockpit of the Normandy, her gaze on the planet looming before her. She had not had much sleep lately. Whenever she slept, the visions of the beacon and the Amitek's explosion meant nightmares plagued her. She did not know why they now involved her fellow marines who had died during her years in the Systems Alliance navy.

Despite her lack of sleep, she and her squad had spent the time finishing assignments, including those given to her by Admiral Hackett, in the clusters that were neighboring the Attican Beta cluster and those within the cluster itself. They had now entered the Theseus system and were approaching their destination, Feros.

She recalled what she had read about the planet on the data pad hours ago. The data were similar to the information Captain Anderson had given her. The planet's human colony was young with a population of 300 people, founded in 2178 by a company called ExoGeni Corporation. There was a former Prothean metropolis that blanketed two-thirds of the planet's land mass and the colonists were sent to explore and were attempting to build on what the Protheans had left behind. The rest of the data were about the planet's radius and other trivia.

What are you looking for, Saren?! Shepard wondered. Whatever it was, it could help the turian find the Conduit. She had to find it. She had already decided who would join her on this mission. She expected they would encounter a large number of geth. Garrus would be her right hand turian. He was probably already geared up to go ashore. Liara's impressive biotic abilities would have been very useful but Merric had spoken to her earlier and had asked to join her team.

Eilene felt a small bit of uncertainty when he had volunteered since he had not joined the team during the assignments. It was quickly replaced by the thought that there was no better chance to see how Merric would do in the field. She knew he was a good shot but she wondered if there was more to his psychic abilities than just telepathy. So far, he had not shown any other abilities.

She felt the presence of a figure behind her, easily towering over her. Her shoulders tensed. Years of training had prepared her for anything but the soundless steps on her ship meant one person...or rather alien. "That is Feros." Merric's voice confirmed her suspicions.

It was a statement not a question but she nodded nonetheless, her shoulders relaxing within moments. She noticed Joker look up at her, his shoulders more tense than hers had been. The flight lieutenant was still wary of the frillan. She gave Joker a meaningful look and the flight lieutenant returned his attention to the interface in front of him.

Shepard remembered the rest of the squad members' reactions when she had spoken to them about Merric. As Eilene had expected, Ashley had voiced a question of why she was allowing yet another non-Alliance member to walk around the Normandy freely especially one they did not know.

Liara had been more supportive but Shepard could tell it was more because the asari was growing more curious about Merric by the day than she was vouching for his character. Wrex was wary but, unlike Garrus who was concerned about their safety, the krogan was thinking of Merric as if he were another mercenary who had joined them on their mission. Tali on the other hand...

_"Shepard, did you want something?"_

_"Tali, do you have a minute to talk?"_

_The quarian looked about her before she gestured to the side of the terminal she was working on. "Actually, now that you are here, I wanted to talk to you about Merric Tamar vas Amitek._

_The fact that Tali had called Merric vas Amitek confirmed that his backstory had indeed spread through the Normandy. Shepard was not surprised. "What is it, Tali?"_

_"Since he has joined our crew, he has been spending some time here in engineering. He seems very interested in the Tantalus drive core. I saw him speak to Engineer Adams about it and the engines. Engineer Adams said that Merric's suggestions have improved the engines' performances._

_"Has he talked to you?" Shepard asked._

__The quarian nodded, the motion momentarily concealing her masked face with the length of her veil. "He did. I asked him about the ship he served on. Merric told me about the algorithms of his race, the ship diagnostics he had monitored and the upgrades he had made to the Amitek. _I have never met anyone with such a vast knowledge of ships since I left the Flotilla." The delight in Tali's voice was very evident. It could almost be considered admiration.  
_

A word with Engineer Adams confirmed what Tali had told the commander. Their engines were performing much better than before. He even praised Merric for helping them with a technical problem they had had. The news surprised Shepard. She had almost pegged Merric as his galaxy's version of the vanguard class. To hear that he had technical abilities meant that he was much more.

Merric was a bigger enigma now than when they had found him, she thought. Eilene hoped seeing him in action would answer some of the questions that had been on her mind since he joined them. She also needed to talk to him again after they returned from this mission.

Merric watched as the Normandy entered the planet's atmosphere. He marveled at the ruins of an old city below them. This was probably the former Prothean city the commander had told them about when she had briefed them on their current mission. Whatever this turian named Saren wanted, it could potentially be hidden within or underneath these ruins, he thought.

Once they were close to their landing point, Joker tried to contact the Zhu's Hope colony but there was no response. No one tried to contact them either. Shepard's reddish brown brows furrowed. The situation was not good. Joker piloted the frigate flawlessly into what looked like an old but still usable docking bay.

Shepard turned around. Merric moved aside to allow her to pass, his manner more gentlemanly than was expected of a soldier around his commanding officer. The action added yet another question to Shepard's list.

She headed for the airlock with Merric following close behind her. Garrus joined them just as they reached the airlock doors. The Normandy's VI went through its usual protocol as the three of them waited for the outer doors to open. Shepard cleared her head of all other thoughts except the mission objective. She was determined to stay focused. There would be time enough for her questions later. She readied her pistol just as the doors opened. They had loaded their weapons with tungsten rounds.

Merric pulled on the hood of his long coat. After she had agreed to allow him to join them, the commander had suggested he hide his frillan identity to avoid causing alarm and raising questions in the human colony. He could understand the logic behind her suggestion and so he agreed.

_She had noticed the hood of his coat and asked him to pull it over his head. He had obliged. The hood concealed his long frills. She looked him over with an almost critical eye, her reddish brown brows furrowed in seeming concentration. Her expression reminded him of his mother while she was concentrating on one of her many projects._

_Eilene relaxed after she had taken a good look at him. "If no one looks too closely, you could pass for a salarian."_

_Remembering the salarian councilor, Merric had to agree with her. To the unobservant, he probably did.  
_

Once the doors opened, the three of them each scanned the area. There were no geth in sight as they could tell. Shepard headed down the platform, ever alert in case of ambush. Her two alien allies followed her lead. They soon ran into a man.

"We saw your ship. Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately." The man said.

"Who are you and who is Fai Dan?" Eilene asked the man.

"David al Talaqani. Fai Dan is our leader. He needs your help to prepare for the geth. They're making another push."

Just as the man was about to say something more to them, Merric heard something move a short distance away. Using his sniper rifle, he scoped out the area behind the man and saw a metallic form approaching. Geth, he thought. Just as it was aiming its weapon at them, Merric moved the scope to the synthetic's head and fired. The robotic head exploded. The gun it held fired a shot in the air, alerting everyone.

"Look out." Shepard pushed the man towards the nearest partition and took cover beside him. Garrus shot a Geth Rocket Trooper not far from the Trooper Merric shot. Some more Geth Troopers arrived and began firing at them.

Once there was a break in the barrage of bullets, Merric shifted to his pistol then stood up from the shipping container he had chosen as cover and raised his free arm, his hand curled into a fist. The nearest white armored Geth Shock Trooper was lifted several feet above the ground as if an invisible hand gripped it and had raised it up.

Merric slammed his fist down forcefully and the Trooper was subsequently slammed down to the ground hard, severely damaging its armor. He aimed his pistol and finished it off with a head shot. He crouched down again when another barrage erupted.

Shepard rolled to the nearest available cover, a metallic shipping crate, once the geth had stopped shooting enough for her to move. She used damping on the group of Geth Troopers. She and Garrus then overloaded their synthetic shields, blue lightning surges signifying the successful overloading. They shot them down after. Another wave of geth arrived, blocking the way forward.

Merric sent a wave of telekinetic energy towards a group of synthetics, shoving them back several feet. He then slammed the rest down, taking cover when needed. Shepard and Garrus aided him by shooting the ones he had just damaged as they progressed through the old docking bay while a few more waves of geth attacked them.

Shepard had to marvel at the speed and skill the frillan demonstrated as he executed each move. He moved with such ease that it almost seemed to be second nature to him. Unlike a biotic, he did not glow when he executed a move.

Garrus silently wondered how much training Merric had had to undergo to achieve such a level of expertise. He had to have as much dedication to training as a turian.

The three finished the heavily damaged troopers off with some well aimed shots. It was not long before all the troopers had fallen. After making sure that the enemy threat was eliminated, the team turned back to David. He stood up from the cover Shepard had left him to hide behind. "Up the stairs and past the freighter." Was all he said. Merric wondered why the man did not express his gratitude at the aid they had given him.

The squad then moved towards the stairwell not too far away near the end of the bay, guns at the ready. As they were about to ascend the stairs, two camouflage-patterned black and white geth were stealthy hopping about the stairwell's pillars and railings, watching their progress.

Merric noticed them first and concentrated on the nearest Geth Stalker. It remained suspended in midair as it was leaping towards a point higher up the pillar. Garrus took out his sniper rifle and shot the vulnerable geth a few times.

Once Garrus finished, Merric released the synthetic from his mental hold. The metallic body crashed to the ground, spraying white conductive fluid and parts around the nearby area. The squad hid behind the concrete railing that shielded them from the spray.

Pulling out her sniper rifle, Shepard focused the scope on the remaining Geth Stalker and fired. It hopped away just moments before the bullet hit. She tried to catch the hopping synthetic in her scope but it kept evading her. She flattened herself against a pillar to evade the beams it fired at her.

Merric peered over the railing he used as cover and raised his arm when he spotted the geth. The stealthy synthetic was lifted from its current perch on a lower part of the pillar opposite them and was slammed down soon after. Before it could recover from the fall, Shepard switched to her trusty pistol and unloaded some tungsten rounds into its chest plate. Synthetic fluid oozed out of the fallen Geth Stalker.

Shepard waited a few moments to allow her pistol to cool down. She looked back at her squad members. "Are you both okay?" They had just straightened themselves from their crouched positions. Both of them nodded in answer to her question.

They climbed up the remaining flight of stairs in single file with Shepard taking the lead and Merric at the rear. No other geth came down to attack them and they quickly reached the top. They moved down a short corridor and stepped out of the entryway at the end.

Defensive barricades were placed on either side of the path before them, bordering what was the colony of Zhu's Hope. Armed colonists were stationed behind them. Their weapons were aimed at them. The squad holstered their weapons. "Don't shoot. We're here to help you." Shepard said. The colonists kept their weapons trained on the entryway behind them.

"Head to the tunnels. Make sure they're secure." Commanded one colonist.

"But...what if I find geth there?" Replied the other in a frightened voice.

"Are you saying you won't go? The colonist who had commanded spoke in a tone that did not bode well for the one who had asked.

"I...I'll go...I'll go." Came the reluctant reply.

Eilene moved past them. Her violet eyes took in the damages the geth had caused to the colony. She had expected simple housing structures. What she saw were transport containers modified into makeshift houses. As she headed in, she spotted two women close by, working to repair the damages. One was crouched down on her arms and knees trying to fix what looked like a generator. The other was accessing a control panel that, from the large transparent tube beside it, probably controlled the colony's water supply.

The generator technician got up and wiped her hands on an oil stained rag she had pulled from the back pocket of her brown overalls. She scratched her head. The water systems technician on the other hand was not looking up from the console. The generator technician knelt back down and returned to work.

Shepard approached both of them, hoping to offer any help she could. The water systems technician confirmed that they were indeed in need of water, exclaiming if they did not die of thirst first, the geth would kill them and that she could not fix the water system while the synthetics were around.

The generator technician on the other hand complained how a woman could work with guns going off all around her. Eilene tried asking them for more information about their situation but they both repeated what David had said, that the geth were going to attack.

Something strange was going on. Shepard continued on her way. To the civilian eye, the colonists were acting normally for a colony under attack but her instincts were telling her otherwise.

There were a few wounded colonists along the way but when Eilene tried to offer help to them, they did not even notice her. No one was tending to them either. Most were securing the barricades, armed and ready for another geth attack. Eilene's instincts went off like alarm bells as she tended to the wounded. Something was definitely not right.

After she was done, she noticed and was surprised to see a male salarian standing beside a crashed freighter not far away. He was wearing a blue suit and accessing his omni-tool. It was rare to see aliens in a human colony. Xenophobia had taken hold of many of the colonies and the xenophobic were not hospitable to extraterrestrials.

When the commander approached the salarian, Merric stood back, concealing his face with his hood. To humans, he may have been able to pass for a salarian but around an actual salarian, he needed to be cautious. He had worn gloves to hide his talons but, unlike a salarian who had three fingers including a thumb, he had five fingers similar to a humans. He placed his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"I fear the geth will kill us all." Was all the salarian said. Not even a greeting, an introduction or an inquiry as to who they were. Add to that the two human women's responses to the commander, Merric found this situation strange but he kept his opinions to himself. When the commander tried to ask him a question, the salarian mumbled he was a merchant not a fighter.

Eilene turned to her squad. "We'd better go talk to Fai Dan." Garrus and Merric nodded. Since there was no other way through, they headed into the crashed freighter. As they passed the long corridor, they heard a man speaking to a woman in a room near the end.

"There, there dear. You'll get through this. Just relax."

"My headaches...are getting better. I just need to...stop thinking of the past."

Eilene found the woman's words odd. She turned to look into the room. The older man was seated beside the cot where the woman was lying, her eyes shut. She was clearly in pain. Shepard entered the room and approached the woman.

"Hello offworlder. I'm glad we aren't totally forgotten by the rest of the galaxy."

"Dear, please try to rest. You...You're are not ready to speak."

"But they should know...unh...I mean, they are very important. Yes, that is better."

"Is there something I can do for you?" Eilene offered. Compassion welled up inside her at the sight of the woman's pained expression.

"I'm...fine. I just need to think clearly. It's just a...lingering pain from... from the last attack. I'll be fine." The woman answered. If she was trying to be reassuring, the expression on her face did not help matters.

Shepard looked at the man who she assumed was the woman's husband. He would not even look at her, his concerned gaze on the woman. Since they did not seem to want to elaborate, Shepard left them be. Once she returned to the corridor, she heard Merric call her.

"Commander, I could not see any signs of injury or illness in the female...the woman but something is causing her severe pain." He said.

"I agree, Merric. Things are not adding up. Something is wrong. We really need to talk to Fai Dan."

"This Fai Dan could probably give us some answers." Garrus spoke up, his detective instincts telling him they needed to investigate this situation further.

Once the door at the other end of the freighter opened, Shepard looked at the map on her omni-tool, trying to pinpoint Fai Dan's location. It was jammed. This was not good. It meant geth were nearby. Luckily, there was only one path ahead of them which led them to a concrete wall where two people were talking. The woman was dressed like a soldier, her dark hair cropped short.

The man noticed them first. He also noticed Shepard's N7 armor. "Oh, commander. I'm glad they sent somebody to help us."

The woman looked at them, her brows furrowed. "You're a bit late, aren't you? She said with a sneer.

The man turned to the woman and scowled. "Arcelia!" He chastised her but the woman did not look repentant. There seemed to be a permanent scowl on her face. Her eyes were on the entrance to a building behind her.

Eilene watched the exchange. Arcelia looked frustrated to her. The woman was probably stressed out, she thought. She turned her attention to the man. "Are you Fai Dan?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Commander. Everyone's been on edge since..." Before the man could continue, the woman named Arcelia shouted, "Watch out! We've got geth in the tower." Her assault rifle was pointed at the tower's entrance.

As the geth approached the entryway, Fai Dan cried out. "Protect the heart of the colony!"

Shepard took out her pistol and pushed her back to the wall beside Arcelia. Garrus and Merric took cover by a fallen pillar not far away. Merric stood up and sent a wave of energy, forcing the geth back several feet. Garrus stopped another with a clean head shot.

After they took care of the initial wave, Shepard and her squad entered the tower. They had to make sure there were no other geth inside.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Merric looked down at the fallen body of the last geth trooper. It had been awhile since he had exerted himself to such an extent but he did not feel as exhausted as he had expected. He crouched down beside the metallic body.

He then pulled up the right sleeve of his coat and suit, revealing a device shaped like a band wrapped around his wrist. It was smaller and thinner than an omni-tool. He pressed a small button. "ANA, inac sit geth. (ANA, scan this geth.)" A light orange beam came from the band. It widened and scanned the geth from head to toe.

"Ti cithetnys hugom, Merric. (It is a synethic form, Merric)." Was ANA's reply. "Cas ira evig iwak puno talu kar? (Shall I give you the full report now?)" She inquired.

"Nire ANA. Valga ti rof unya. (No, ANA. Save it for later.)" There was little time to analyze the data at that moment. He would do that later when they had returned to the ship.

"Firrave. (Affirmative.)" Came her reply. The soft beep confirmed ANA had stored the data. Merric pressed the button once more, turning off the device. He pulled the sleeves back over it. He stood up and straightened himself.

"We should head back." He heard the commander say. He turned around and rejoined the team. They headed back the way they had come.

Once they had left the tower, the commander had chosen to approach the woman named Arcelia. "I'm grateful for what you've done but your heroics don't impress me, Commander." There was still a scowl on the woman's face.

Merric listened as the commander asked Arcelia some questions. She said she was a rent-a-cop hired by the ExoGeni Corporation as a security officer. She hadn't been trained to deal with the geth. She just wanted it to end. She felt that they had been abandoned by all the government agencies who were supposed to be there to keep them safe which explained her hostile attitude towards the commander. She had expected a small fleet not a single ship.

"You're only interested in the geth." She spat the words. When asked what the geth could be after, she said they should go to ExoGeni for answers. The corporation was said to be looking for Prothean artifacts and anything of value which is why they funded the colony. Merric was impressed with the commander's calmness throughout the interrogation.

Once she was done questioning Arcelia, Commander Shepard approached Fai Dan. The colony leader thanked the commander for securing the tower. "I'm just glad your colony is safe." The commander had said. Fai Dan voiced his appreciation for their concern and their efforts with the geth to which Arcelia remarked that they may have been slowed down but they would be back. They always came back.

"If you help me find what the geth are after, you'll all get out of here alive." Said the commander.

Fai Dan did not know what the geth were after. All he knew was that they had come and attacked the colonists. He went on to add that the geth's main base was at the ExoGeni headquarters. Arcelia then mentioned the skyway lead directly to the headquarters. There was also an army of geth up there, added the colony leader.

"I didn't expect this would be easy," was the commander's response.

"Then I can get this colony operational again." Fai Dan said. When Commander Shepard offered to bring them off world, the colony leader refused the offer, stating that they would not leave. This was their home.

When the commander asked what else they needed, he told her that, other than destroying the geth, they needed food, water & power. He then directed the commander to go to the three colonists in charge: May O'Connell the generator technician, Macha Doyle the water systems technician and Davin Reynolds who was in charge of the food rations. He also told her about the geth guarding a transmitter in the tunnels that they were using to coordinate attacks.

"I'll talk to you again when I learn more." The commander bade them farewell.

Shepard then spoke to the three colonists overseeing the shortages. May O'Connell asked for some spare power cells, Macha Doyle wanted them to turn on some valves and Davin Reynolds wanted them to kill a big, mad, erratic alpha varren so the colonists could hunt for varren meat to supplement their food rations.

Despite making suggestions to help them like getting rations from off world and using the Normandy's spare power cells, the colonists rejected her suggestions, stating their reasons why. All of the assignments pointed them in the direction of the tunnels.

She returned to the salarian merchant. "Commander, I was told to make my supplies available to you, if you wish." He said. He had noticed Merric but his attention had returned to Shepard.

"What's your name, Salarian?" Eilene asked.

"My name is Gorot II Heranon Mal Dinest Got Inoste Ledra. Humans usually employ surname and given name only: Inoste and Ledra in my case." When she asked why his name was so long, he explained that salarians were named for their origins. Homeworld name, clan's country name, the names of the city and district where they live then surname and given name in that order.

"What's a salarian doing on a human colony?" She finally asked the question that was on her mind.

"This salarian goes where the credits are. Or I did. A well-stocked freighter can be a profitable investment in a new colony. But once I was here, I decided to stay on. The colony life grows on you after a while."

When asked about Zhu's Hope, he said it was a fascinating place by all accounts but the geth had made it treacherous. "You might like it here too, if you gave it a chance, Commander. I never thought I would stay in one place for long, but here...I will stay here." He added.

Shepard found it odd that he wanted to stay. The colony was barely holding together. When she asked him why, he could not give her an answer, at least not one he believed she could comprehend. He even went on to say that she should try asking Fai Dan for a reason.

Once she had spoken to everyone, she turned to her squad members. "We have two courses of action now. We can either head down to the tunnels or up to the skyway." She knew they needed to finish the mission and the assignments before they left Feros.

"Commander, I say we head up to the skyway first. We can deal with these assignments after." Garrus said. Between the two choices, dealing with the main mission to him was more important. The assignments, though important, could wait.

"If I may suggest, Commander. I think we should first head down into the tunnels. I think aiding these colonists would be more beneficial. They are clearly living in hardship with these shortages. There is also the matter of the geth transmitter." Merric understood that completing the mission was of utmost importance but he also could see that dealing with the shortages would alleviate the colonists. Saving lives, regardless of race and species, was just as important.

She looked from one to the other. She had already decided where they were headed first. She had spoken to them because she wanted to hear what they had to say. She was silent for a few minutes, her brows furrowed. To them, she seemed to be seriously considering their options. "We are going into the tunnels." She finally said. Merric smiled in response.

Garrus only nodded. He trusted the commander knew what was best and would follow her lead as always.


End file.
